Apparatus for crushing impurities in cotton card webs and the like



July 12, 1966 R. M. ZOCH 3,259,945

APPARATUS FOR CRUSHING IMPURITIES IN COTTON CARD WEBS AND THE LIKE FiledSept. 3, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

July 12, 1966 R. M. ZOCH APPARATUS FOR CRUSHING IMPURITIES IN COTTONCARD WEBS AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 3, 1963 A fforl? g/sJuly 12, 1966 R. M. ZOCH 3,

APPARATUS FOR CRUSHING IMPURITIES IN COTTON CARD WEBS AND THE LIKE FiledSept. 5, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

Rg mond M. 200/;

45 K1 imfw Affomgys United States Patent 3,259,945 APPARATUS FORCRUSHING IMPURITIES IN COTTON CARD WEBS AND THE LIKE Raymond M. Zoch,Columbus, Ga., assignor to Lummus Cotton Gin Company, a corporation ofGeorgia Filed Sept. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 306,064 3 Claims. (Cl. 19106) Thisinvention relates to improved apparatus for crushing the smallimpurities which are present in the webs of afibers coming from a card,such vfor instance as impurities found in carded cotton webs.

In the art to which this invention relates it =has.long been known andrecognized that small impurities such as specks of seed hull from ginnedcotton, small particles of leaf trash, and similar minute, frangibleimpurities can be conditioned for removal from the fibers by crushingthe same while the fiber is being delivered in web form from the card.Thus, the Peralta rolls which were used commonly on wool cards and tosome extent on cotton cards were known to crush such impurities and theimpurities were removed in subsequent processes such as spinning,drawing and the like.

Apparatus for carrying out the general concept of crushing theimpurities of a moving, carded web have been proposed and are incommercial use. One of the problems present in such apparatus is to makethe same compact enough to fit within the original, overall outline ofthe card apparatus itself. I urther, it is highly desirable in this typeof apparatus that the crush roll weighting or loading system apply afixed, non-varying load to the crush rolls to provide uniform pressurealong the length of such crush rolls. 'Heretofore this problem has notbeen solved in satisfactory manner. Still further, it sometimes isdesirable .to operate the card without using the crush rolls. Some priorapparatus has involved means merely to release the pressure on the topcrush roll without actually raising the top roll. Other such mechanismas heretofore designed does not always return the top roll to theprecise and desired operating pressure that existed before being raised.

With the foregoing in mind some of the principal and secondary objectsof my invention are as follows:

(1) To provide an apparatus which may be attached to existing cards andwhich is so designed as not to extend the overall length of the card,thus providing a compact machine, saving valuable floor space in themill.

(=la) A subsidiary object to 1) above is to provide such apparatus inwhich the crushing rolls are arranged beneath the oscillating coni b ofthe card.

(lb) Subsidiary to (1) above also, an object of my invention is tolocate the crush rolls both underneath the comb and extremely close tothe dofling cylinder and in such position that the trajectory or normalpath of the Web is directed toward and into the hips of the rolls.

(2) To provide a compound lever for applying pressure to the topmost oneof the crushing rolls which includes a floating knife-edged blockserving to maintain constant lever arm length under all conditions ofoperation. Such arm has the advantage of being virtually friction freeand is substantially free of errors in weighting due to wear of theparts.

(3) To provide apparatus of the character designated in which the lowercrushing roll is mounted in pivoted bearings at each end thereoftogether with means accurately to adjust and hold such lower roll inadjusted position relative to the upper roll. By such adjustment Iprovide means to compensate for production errors in the rolls or otherparts of the device as well as to compensate for any wear on the rollsor other parts.

(4) To provide trash crushing means for cotton Webs ice and the like sodesigned, overall, as to permit the use of negative mechanical draftbetween the dotfer surface and the crusher rolls. The advantage of thislies in the fact that in installing my improved apparatus on an existingcard it is not necessary to change any of the draft gears whatever orany of the other gears which drive the doffer in relation to any otherpart of the apparatus.

(5) Other objects are to provide a clearer blade on the uppermost rolland to associate therewith a small elon gated trough spaced slightlyaway from the roll and also slightly below the blade, whereby theoccasional wads or lumps of trash which fall from such clearer bladefall into the trough where they may be removed, thus eliminatingcontamination of the web by such wads or lumps; to provide .a pivotedclearer blade for the lower roll which has associated therewith a plateextending downwardly therefrom between the operator and the doffer,which plate serves the dual purpose of preventing the operator fromgetting his fingers caught between the lower roll and the doifer andalso acts as a handle by means of which the clearer blade may be swungaway from the lower roll for cleaning purposes; to provide a safety bar,located just above the nips of the crushing rolls and below the oncomingweb, whereby such bar is located out of the trajectory of the web, butat the same time is sufliciently close to the hips of the rolls toprevent an operators fingers from becoming caught between the rolls.

Apparatus illustrating features of my invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings forming a part hereof in which:

FIG. 1 is a wholly diagrammatic isometric view of a card having myimproved apparatus in place thereon;

IFIG. 2 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional View through one end ofthe weighting mechanism, the doffer cylinder being in dotted lines and.the weight being shown in dotted lines in inoperative position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmental detail vertical sectional view showingthe relationship of the comb and crush rolls to the dotfer cylinder, thedoffer cylinder being in dotted lines;

FIG. 4 is a detail sectional view taken generally along line 4-4 of FIG.2;

:FIG. 5 is a detail side elevational view showing the drive for thecrush rolls and calender rolls, certain of the parts being broken awayand the dotfer cylinder being shown in dotted lines;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail side elevational view, partly in section,of the floating linkage between the weight arm and the bearing housingextension arm for the top crushing roll;

'FIG. 7 is a detail view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 2; and,

'FIG. 8 is a view of the knife-edged pressure link block.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of my invention1 illustrate in FIG. 1 a somewhat conventional carding engine indicatedgenerally by the numeral 10. As will be understood, the carding engine10 embodies the main card cylinder 11, a dofier 1'2, and suitable drivemechanisms and gearing, only partially shown. As illustrated in thedrawings the main cylinder turns in the direction of arrow 13 and thedoifer turns in the direction of arrow 14. For the sake of clarity Ihave omitted certain parts of the card such as the flats, infeedmechanism and the like. I illustrate at 16 the driven shaft for thecalender rolls, not shown, which as will be understood pull the webhereafter to be described from the crush rolls hereafter also to bedescribed through a trumpet, not shown, thus to form the web into asliver for delivery to the usual can, likewise not shown.

My invention comprises suitable framework in the form of head plates 17which are bolted or otherwise 3 secured generally vertically to thecard, forwardly of the doffer 12. In view of the fact that much of themechanism, including the plate 17 at each end of my improved apparatusis substantially identical, a description of one end will generallysuflice for both.

Projecting outwardly from the sides of the end plates 17 are pins 18.Pivotally mounted on such pins are bearing housings 19. Bearings 21 aremounted in the housings and rotatably mounted in the bearings is a shaft22 for rotatably supporting a top web crushing roll 23.

In similar manner there are pins 24 outstanding from the heads or plates17. Pivotally mounted on the pins 24 are bearing housings 26 carryingbearings 27 which in turn receive the shaft 28 of the lower rotatingcrushing roll 29.

The lower crushing roll housings are provided with arms 31. These armshave outward ends 32 which are engaged both top and bottom by means ofpositioning blocks 36 having a V-notch 37 cut along one edge thereof. a

The blocks are secured to the ends of the arm by means 'of nut and boltcombinations indicated at 38.

Driven into the ends of the arms 34 are wedge pins 39 which have aconical head 41 therein. Fitting about the pins 39 and restrainedagainst outward movement by the head 41 are floating, sharp-edgedpressure link blocks or plates 42. The blocks 42, as stated, havesharpened edges 43 one of which fits in the V-shaped notch 37 of theblocks 36 and the other of which fits in a V-shaped notch 44 of hardenedblocks 46 secured by bolts 47 to the ends of weight arms indicatedgenerally by the numeral 48. The blocks 42 are biased outwardly intoengagement with the heads 41 of the pins by means of small springs 49.As best shown in FIG. 2 the Weight arms 48 are pivoted at 51 to the endplates 17. The weights indicated at 52 are integrally formed with arms48.

Depending from the bearing blocks 26 are cars 53. Pivotally mountedbetween the two cars 53 is a holder or carrier 54 for a clearer blade 56which cooperates with the lower roll 29. Depending from the carrier 54is a plate 57 which extends entirely across the full width of the dolferand consequently forthe full length of the rolls 29. Springs 58 areanchored at one end as at 59 to the pivoted carrier and to the plates 17at the opposite ends as shown at 61. The blade 56 thus is biased alwaysinto contact with the bottom crush roll 26 and, even when the'roll 26 isadjusted through the screws 33, the blade, being pivoted to the ears ofthe housings 26, moves with the roll 26 and stays in proper relationthereto.

Pivotally mounted between the plates 17 is a carrier 62 for a clearerblade 63 which cooperates with the upper crush roll 23. Tension springs64 have one end anchored in ofiset relation to the pivoted carrier 62 asat 66 and their opposite ends anchored to the end plates 17 as at 67.Thus, the clearer blade 63 is biased into contact at all times with thetop crush roll 23. A handle 65 is provided for pivoting the blade 63 outof contact with its roll.

Referring again particularly to FIGS. 2 and 7 it will be noted that theweight arms 48 carry portions 68 which extend downwardly and are free tomove along the outer sides of the arms 34. Projecting outwardly fromeach arm 34 is a pin 69 located in position to be engaged by the arm 68when the weight is swung upwardly and counterclockwise as viewed inFIGS. 2 and 7. Thus, when the weight is swung upwardly and to the left,pivoting about pin 51, arms 68 engage the pins 69, thus to raise the toproll 23 out of contact with the lower roll 29.

This operation is accomplished by removing the slip-on sheet metal coverindicated at 7 1, raising the weight upwardly, replacing the cover,whereby the edge 71 of the housing engages and holds the weight inraised position as illustrated in dotted lines, FIG. 2.

Referring particularly to FIG. 5 of the drawings it will be seen thatthe shaft 28 for the lowerroll and the shaft 22 for the upper roll bothcarry sprockets 28 and 22*, respectively. A sprocket chain 72 passesover idler sprockets 73 and 74 and thence over a sprocket 76 fast on thecalendar roll shaft 16, which, as will be remembered, is rotated by thedrive arrangement illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 1.

Extending the length of the rolls 23 and 29 and mounted between the endplates 17 is a safety bar 77.

This bar is located in such position as to lie below the normal ornatural trajectory of the web W. shown'in dotted lines in FIG. 3 as itis being removed from the dolfer 12 by means of a comb or other doflingmeans 78.-

Itwill further be understood that if a comb is used as the dofling meansit may be of the oscillating type and that the usual comb box anddriving mechanism therefor is provided.

It is also to be especially noted that the rolls 23 and 29 occupypositions substantially below the comb mechanism and substantiallywithin the vertically projected confines thereof. Further, roll 29 iscloser to the dolfer cylinder 12 than is roll 23. This arrangementaffords an upwardly opening entrance to the nipof the rolls 23-29 forthe web W so that the web is substantially self-feeding when startingthe card. Further, such arrangement. locates the nip of the rollsdirectly in the natural path or trajectory of the web as it leaves thedoffer. crush rolls 23-29 of about 3 inches in diameter, I place theperiphery'of roll 29 preferably no more than onehalf inch from the teethof the clothing of the dofler 12.

In view of the foregoing it will be apparent that I have invented animproved apparatus for treating the moving webs of cotton and likefibers as they come from the card for the purpose of-crushing impuritiestherein. My improved apparatus is characterized by its compactness, thussaving valuable card room'space. Further, the particular relationship ofthe crushing rolls to each other and to the point of discharge .of theweb W from the doffer permits the web simply to drop into the nips ofthe rolls. In actual practice I have discovered that it is not necessaryto change in any Way the drive relation be-;

tween the doffer and other parts of the card and that in fact thereexists a negative draft between the crush rolls 23-29 and the doifer. Bythe provision of the floating sharp-edged bearing blocks 68 the effectof the weights 52 on the roll 23 is substantially constant so that thisroll is urged always with constant, uniform pressure toward the lowerroll 29. The adjustment of the lower roll by means of the pivotedbearing housing and the set screws 33 provides simple and effectivemeans for compensating for any wear or any inaccuracies in manufactureof the rolls or other parts. By having the roller clearer blade actuallymove 'with the bearing housing for the lower roll 29 I eliminate thenecessity of adjusting the clearer blade each time the screws 33 aremoved. When it is desired to make the crush rolls inoperative it is onlynecessary to remove the sheet metal protective cover 71, grasp theweight 52 and pull it counterclocle.

wise about its point 51 whereupon the arm 68 engages,

Thus, with the pin 69, lifting the top roll to inoperative, out ofcontact position with the roll 29. The safety to the operator affordedby the safety rod or bar 77 and the depending plate 57 are importantpractical details of the invention.

7 With prior apparatus several instances of injury to workers attemptingto clean the rolls have occurred at these points. Additionally, theplate 57 provides a simple means for pivoting the lower clearer blade 56in order to clean it manually as may be required.

In operation my invention has proved to be extremely practical andsatisfactory. As of the date of the filing of this application a largenumber of these units have been installed on various types of cards,principally for carding cotton, and are in day-to-day use. Thespace-saving feature of my improved apparatus is extremely important.Unlike prior apparatus of this general type all that is necessary ininstalling my apparatus is simply to bolt it in place, it being socompact that the overall length of the card is in no Way increased.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious tothose skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptibleof various changes and modifications without departing from the spiritthereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall beplaced thereupon as are specificaliy set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a carding engine having a dofier and means todeliver from the dofler a moving web of carded fibers, of

(a) upper and lower cooperating driven Web crushing rolls between whichthe web is delivered from the dofler, said upper roll having end shafts,

(b) weighting means for the upper roll embodying:

(1) roll carrying arms in which the end shafts of the upper roll arejournaled and having outer ends extending away from the longitudinalaxis of the upper roll,

(2) pivots on which said arms are mounted and laterally spaced from thelongitudinal axis of said upper roll,

(3) weight arms disposed for cooperation with the outer ends of each ofthe upper roll carrying arms and having ends pivotally mounted adjacentsaid outer ends of the upper roll carrying arms,

(4) weights on on each of the weight carrying arms,

(5) knife-edge members on the outer ends of the upper roll carryingarms, and

(6) seats on the weight carrying arms adjacent the pivoted ends thereoffor receiving the knifeedges of said members, whereby the weightcarrying arms press the upper roll into contact with the lower rollthrough said knife-edge members.

2. Means for weighting an upper crush roll toward a lower crush rollcomprising,

(a) a pair of bearing housings in which are journaled end shafts of theupper roll,

(b) means laterally offset from the longitudinal axes of the upper rollshafts pivotally supporting the housings,

(c) force transmitting arms extending outwardly from each housing,

(d) other arms having ends pivotally mounted near the outer ends of theforce transmitting arms,

(e) floating knife-edged force transmitting links located adjacent theouter ends of the force transmitting arms,

(f) oppositely disposed facing seats on said force transrnitting armsand on said other arms in which the knife edges of the links are adaptedto fit, and

(g) means for weighting said other arms, whereby the upper roll ispressed evenly adjacent each end with constant force toward the lowerroll.

3. In crush roll apparatus for carded webs,

(at) upper and lower driven crush rolls,

(b) bearing housings at each end of each roll supporting the same forrotation,

(c) pivots supporting each housing in such manner that the rolls moveindependently about said pivots toward and from each other,

(d) means to apply to the upper roll through its pivoted bearinghousings a constant force urging the upper roll toward the lower rollcomprising (e) arms on the pivoted hearing housings,

(f) pivoted weight carrying arms having portions which in response topivotal movement thereof move toward and from said bearing housing arms,and

(g) knife-edged force transmitting floating links interposed between thearms and effective to transmit to the bearing housing arms the forceapplied to the weight arms.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3 18,730 5/1885Harmel 1998 471,631 3/1892 Aldrich 176 1,211,190 1/1917 Leveugle 19-981,579,998 4/ 1926 Becker et a1 24l-232 2,075,156 3/1937 Albero 19161 X2,910,735 11/1959 Clark 19-106 3,003,195 10/1961 Varga 19106 X 3,113,34812/1963 Varga 19-106 FOREIGN PATENTS 190,837 7/1957 Austria.

28,159 8/1884 Germany.

928,874 6/ 1955 Germany.

805,305 12/1958 Great Britain.

117,208 5/ 1958 Russia.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner. D. NEWTON, Assistant Examiner.

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A CARDING ENGINE HAVING A DOFFER AND MEANS TODELIVER FROM THE DOFFER A MOVING WEB OF CARDED FIBERS, OF (A) UPPER ANDLOWER COOPERATING DRIVEN WEB CRUSHING ROLLS BETWEEN WHICH THE WEB ISDELIVERED FROM THE DOFFER, SAID UPPER ROLL HAVING END SHAFTS, (B)WEIGHTING MEANS FOR THE UPPER ROLL EMBODYING: (1) ROLL CARRYING ARMS INWHICH THE END SHAFTS OF THE UPPER ROLL ARE JOURNALED AND HAVING OUTERENDS EXTENDING AWAY FROM THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE UPPER ROLL, (2)PIVOTS ON WHICH SAID ARMS ARE MOUNTED AND LATERALLY SPACED FROM THELONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID UPPER ROLL, (3) WEIGHT ARMS DISPOSED FORCOOPERATION WITH THE OUTER ENDS OF EACH OF THE UPPER ROLL CARRYING ARMSAND HAVING ENDS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID OUTER ENDS OF THE UPPERROLL CARRYING ARMS, (4) WEIGHTS ON ON EACH OF THE WEIGHT CARRYING ARMS,(5) KNIFE-EDGE MEMBERS ON THE OUTER ENDS OF THE UPPER ROLL CARRYINGARMS, AND (6) SEATS ON THE WEIGHT CARRYING ARMS ADJACENT THE PIVOTEDENDS THEREOF FOR RECEIVING THE KNIFEEDGES OF SAID MEMBERS, WHEREBY THEWEIGHT CARRYING ARMS PRESS THE UPPER ROLL INTO CONTACT WITH THE LOWERROLL THROUGH SAID KNIFE-EDGE MEMBERS.